Arrangement oe means for regulating the eire of coal-burning



I PATENTBD JULY 21, 1857. I

, J. M. HARTNETT. ARRANGEMENT OF MEANS FOR REGULATING THEFIRE OP COAL BURNING LOCOMOTIVES.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN M. HARTNETT, OF WAUKEGAN, ILLINOIS.

ARRANGEMENT OF MEANS FOR REGULATING THE FIRE OF COAL-BURNING LOCOMOTIVES.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 17,834, dated. Ju1y 21, 1857.

'making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical and central section of my improvement. -Fig. 2 is an inverted plan of ditto.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the two figures.

My invention consists in an arrangement of a fan blower placed underneath the boiler of the locomotive and connected with pipes which are provided with valves and so arranged that the fire may be supplied with a greater or less quantity of air as desired, and when necessary, a reverse draft brought down through the flues and the upper part of the fire chamber in order to lessen the temperature of the boiler. B this arrangement the fire may be regu ated as desired with the greatest facility and placed under the complete control of the engineer.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention I will proceed to describe it.

A represents the boiler of a locomotive.

B is the smoke pipe.

C re resents the fiues which pass longitudinally through the boiler from the fire chamber D .to the smoke-pipe B.

The above parts are of usual construction and therefore do not require a minute descri tion.

nderneath the boiler A, a fan F is placed. This fan is fitted within a suitable cylindrical case or box G, which communicates at the center of each side with a curved pipe H,

- said pipe being connected with a pipe I,

which is fitted within the smoke Ipripe E, the upper end of pipe H passing t ough the front side of t e smoke pipe. The way in which pipe I is made to communicate with the fan box is plainly shown in Fig. 2. A valve (a) is fitted in pipe I near its junction with pipe H.

From the periphery of the fan box G, two pipes J, K, project. The lower pipe K asses into the fire-chamber below the grate I, and the end of pipe J communicates with the open air. The pipes J, K, have valves (1)), (b), fitted or placed in them. These valves (1)), (b), are placed on a common rod or axis, and in reverse positions, so that when the up er valve (1)) 1s open, the other (1)) will be c osed and vice-versa.

M, M, represent two ipes, one end of which communicates wit the fire-chamber above the grate L. The 0 posite ends of the pipes communicate with t e sides of the fan box G. Each pipe M is provided with a valve (0). The valves of the several pipes all have rods (d) attached, which rods extend back at the sides of the fire-chamber and within reach of the engineer.

The fan F is driven by belts or chains (6) from one of the truck axles, the belts or chains being inclosed within proper cases to exclude dust and thereby prevent the wearing or cutting out of the same.

The operation is as follows: When an intense heat is required, the valves (c), (c) in the pipes M, M, are closed, and the valve (6) in the pipe J is also closed, and consequently the valve (1)) in the pipe K will be open. The fire will then be supplied with a blast which passes down the pi e I through the curved pi e H into the fan fiox G and thence through t e pipe K into the fire-chamber D below the grate L and through the flues C into the smoke pipe B. See black arrows. The strength of this blast may be regulated by adjusting the valves (a) (b). When the temperature of the boiler requires to be reduced, the valves (a) (b) are closed, and the valve (b) in the pipe J opened, and the valves (0) in the pipes M, M opened. The blast will then pass down the smoke-pipe B through the fines G into the u per part of the fire-chamber D, and throug the pipes M into the fan b ox G, from whence it is discharged through the pipe J, as indicated by the red arrows. This reverse draft cools the pipes or flues C and reduces the temperature of the boiler. It will therefore be seen that the coal fire is placed under the complete control of the engineer; for when an intense heat is required the blast indicated bythe black arrows may be made sufiiciently powerful to produce a rapid combustion, the blast a short time after the fire is ignited being heated by passing down through the smoke pipe B. When the heat requires to be diminished, as in descending grades, the efiect is obtained by the reverse draft which as previously explained reduces the temperature of the boiler.

The great difficulty attending the burning of coal, and more especially anthracite coal in locomotives has been the inability to control the fire, that is, varying its intensity as occasion may require.

The closing of the ash pan, and providing the flues C with dampers, the usual means em loyed, will not answer for coal fires, for a slig t draft is always formed or produced by leakage suflicient to keep the fiues filled with the products of combustion, and an instantaneous action of effect cannot be produced. By my implement the temperature of the boiler may be instantaneously reduced, and if a powerful fan is employed the tem erature instantaneously raised.

aving thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is The fan F laced within the boX G connected with t e pi es I, H, M, M, and J, K, provided with ya ves and arranged substantially as shown for the purpose set forth.

JOHN M. HARTNETT.

Witnesses:

AHDREW O. HERMAN, L. CRABTREE. 

